My Last Breath
by PrimaFaba
Summary: COMPLETED. Everyone has nightmares. But Tori's nightmares just might change her life forever... Chapters 6 & 7 now up.  Part 1 of the Cassandra's Legacy series. Tori/Blake pairing for now. Rated T for some violent imagery.
1. Prelude

Disclaimer: I do not own PRNS, or any part of it. I also do not own the song "My Last Breath" by Evanescence, which is quoted throughout and was also the original inspiration for this story.

Prelude

_Another alien, another battle. Quickly, Dustin, Shane, Cam, Hunter, Blake and I morph into action as the Ninja Storm Power Rangers. I love my life as a Ranger, although it is dangerous and I certainly don't relish the idea of an evil space ninja attacking Earth. For one thing, it is a great feeling, knowing that I am out saving the world just like the characters in the comics and on TV. Being a role-model for thousands of little girls who now want to be a Ranger just like me when they grow up. Just the pleasure I get from those secret little good deeds that no one will ever know about. But being a Ranger also brought me closer to the five boys who are now like family to me. Every time I walk into Ninja Ops and see their smiling faces, it feels like coming home._

_Quickly, I shake myself from my thoughts. Daydreaming during a battle will not get the enemy destroyed, and it might even prove dangerous to me or one of my teammates._

_"Come closer, Rangers," the monster calls. "I shall reveal to you the power of Seamstra!" The creature is shaped like a giant spool of multi-colored thread with needles and pins sticking out every which way and a pair of scissors as its head._

_"Ninja Sword! Gold Mode!" Shane commands. Dustin and I quickly follow suit, yanking out our own swords in Gold Mode._

_"Samurai Saber!" Cam calls, pulling out the blade unique to the Green Samurai Ranger._

_"Thunder Staff!" Hunter and Blake shout together, producing their weapons. We move into battle stance._

_"You have been warned!" Seamstra calls to us. "Kelzaks!" Immediately a large group of the black-and-red aliens appears. As the Kelzaks charge, we brace ourselves for a fight. We race into the midst of the Kelzaks and begin fighting furiously._

_After awhile, all but a few of the aliens have been taken out, as Seamstra looks on furiously. Two of them latch onto Hunter, and another two grab Blake. The two Thunder Rangers are having trouble fighting them off. Shane looks at me._

_"We'll hold off the rest. Go help Hunter and Blake!" I nod and immediately run towards the pair. Seamstra steps forward, calling,_

_"Time to baste some Ranger!"_

_Suddenly an explosion of pain rips through my chest. It fills my entire being, my whole awareness. I scream in agony, falling to my knees. Electricity crackles around me, and there is more pain, and suddenly I am falling onto my side, and I gradually realize that my Ranger suit has vanished. Through the cloud of pain enveloping me, I hear my friends calling to me in fear, see them looking at a huge metal needle that is stuck in the ground behind me. Dimly, I realize that it has gone right through me. Seamstra laughs, and in a flash of light she and all the Kelzaks disappear._

_Moments later, my friends are at my side, de-morphing as they run to me. That's strange, I think, noticing how blurred my vision is. Almost hysterical, Dustin shifts me onto my back. Cam kneels beside me and looks at my chest. I can't look, I think to myself, I won't. I can't stand the sight of blood. But deep inside, I know the real reason that I dare not look. In the back of my mind a fear is growing, a fear that this is a wound from which I cannot recover. A fear that this wound is fatal._

_Cam stands up and beckons to the others to step away from me for a minute. I know he doesn't want me to hear what he is saying, and at that very moment I know what he is telling them: he is telling them that I will die. I hear Blake cry out, but the others shush him. A few minutes later, they return. Blake kneels beside me and holds my hand, tears streaming down his cheeks. A little to the side, I hear Cam telling Sensei what has happened._

_**Hold on to me, love**_  
_**You know I can't stay long.**_  
_**All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid.**_

_Dustin, Shane, and Hunter are standing to the side, trying to ask Sensei something, begging and pleading. I know I don't have much time. If I want to tell Blake the truth before I die, then now is the time to do it._

_"Blake," I manage to choke out._

_"It's g-gonna be okay Tori, " he says, but the way his words shake, the tears pouring in rivers down his cheeks, belie that statement. It is **not** going to be okay, and I know it._

_"Blake, I-I…" How do I say this? I think desperately. "I know I'm dying. I-I don't think I can last much longer. "_

_"Shh, Tori, it's going to be okay," Blake says, trying to stop me from saying what he has to know is the inevitable truth._

_"No, Blake, it's not…please don't say that…." I take a deep breath, and wince with pain. Blake sees and squeezes my hand. "I have to tell you something."_

_"What is it?" he asks curiously. He has no idea what I am about to say._

_"I've been wanting to tell you for so long…I wanted to wait for the perfect moment…maybe until Lothor was gone…. But now I can't wait any longer. "He stares at me, reasonably having no idea what I am trying to say._

_"I have to say this before I die…. Blake, I…I love you." His mouth drops open. He clearly was not expecting this **at all**._

_"Y-you…love me?" he whispers, his voice trembling. I nod, then wince as fresh pain ripples through me. "I-I've been wanting to tell you …" Blake says. My heart—or what is left of it—swells within me. Could he possibly mean…?_

_"I love you too, Tori," he tells me, tears rushing down his cheeks. "I…always have, I mean, even when Lothor…" I can barely hear him through the roaring in my ears, but I know what he is saying. But there is something else that has to be said._

_"Blake…." He goes quiet, straining to hear me. I know my voice is too soft. "I'm not afraid to die." At least, I don't think I am._

_**Can you hear me?**_  
_**Can you feel me in your arms?**_

_Blake is absolutely silent. He does not say a word, he does not move. I wonder if he didn't hear me, or if he is in denial. Maybe he is so silent because he knows the truth, and he knows that as long as he doesn't admit it he can pretend I will be all right. Whether for my sake or his, I don't know._

_Suddenly I become aware that I am not on the ground, but that he is holding me, supporting me. I am only aware of this by sight, for I cannot feel his touch at all. Light-headed, I wonder if he is as numb to my touch as I am to his._

_**Holding my last breath,**_  
_**Safe inside myself**_  
_**Are all my thoughts of you.**_  
_**Sweet raptured light,**_  
_**It ends here tonight.**_

_Blake is looking at me sadly. I cannot bear to see the pain in his eyes. I close my eyes and retreat into myself. I try not to think that I will be dying soon. I try not to think about everything that will be lost. Instead I concentrate on all my memories of my best friends. I remember the day I met each of them, the day Dustin, Shane, and I became Rangers, when Hunter and Blake joined the team, when Cam finally became a Ranger. I remember all of the happy days with the friends I love. I remember how I wished and wished for Blake to like me, how my dream is to date him someday. Suddenly I think that now that dream can't ever come true, and I am sad. I open my eyes, but only with great effort. I know I am going to die here in the City Square. I know I will not even last the night. I look up and Blake is still there, and everyone else is there too. I can see in their eyes that they know the truth, but they don't think **I** do. I take a breath to try to reassure them, but the pain overwhelms me and I stop, coughing. With each cough it hurts more, and now I can taste blood in my mouth. It will end soon. I cannot bear the pain, and I close my eyes again to try to block it out._

_**I'll miss the winter,**_  
_**A world of fragile things.**_  
_**Look for me in the white forest**_  
_**Hiding in a hollow tree (Come find me)**_

_I begin to think of everything I will miss when I am gone. I think of how the summer waves slap the beach, the cool rush of water beneath my surfboard. I think of hanging out at Storm Chargers, chatting with my friends at Ninja Ops. I remember training with Sensei Kanoi and sparring with Blake._

_I imagine the winter. I remember the delicate icicles hanging from the garage, the tiny, beautiful snowflakes fluttering down from the sky, the way the trees hang with snow on their limbs, the crunch it makes when I walk through fresh snow. I remember the days when I'd sit in a hollow tree in the forest just staring at the snow, watching the winter animals move about. I think that I will keep myself here, that I will sit in that tree in the forest and wait for my friends to come find me, after I am gone._

_"Look for me in the white forest hiding in a hollow tree," I think. My friends look at each other, worried, and I hear Cam say that I must be delirious._

_**I know you hear me:**_  
_**I can taste it in your tears.**_

_**Holding my last breath,**_  
_**Safe inside myself**_  
_**Are all my thoughts of you.**_  
_**Sweet raptured light,**_  
_**It ends here tonight**_

_Vaguely I realize that I must have said the words aloud. I know my friends can hear me, although I feel myself fading. Then they are crying, crying, and the tears falling from their cheeks, the sobs echoing in their voices, tell me that they heard me and are realizing what I have known all along: the end is near._

_**Closing your eyes to disappear,**_  
_**You pray your dreams will leave you here.**_  
_**But still you wake and know the truth:**_

_**No one's there.**_

_Blake is still holding me, still the closest one, although the others are as close as they can get. I see Blake close his eyes. He whispers, "I'm just dreaming. This can't be happening. Dear God, please let this just be a dream!" He looks at Hunter, and cries. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" I see Hunter shake his head. Tears are pouring down his cheeks, and it slowly occurs to me that for the first time in my life I am seeing Hunter Bradley cry. But for some reason, I don't seem to care, and this frightens me._

_**Say goodnight.**_  
_**Don't be afraid.**_  
_**Calling me calling me as you fade to black.**_

_Something lurches inside me. I look down and see my shirt is the color of Hunter's uniform now; no longer is it blue. I taste blood in my mouth, an uncontrollable amount of blood. My senses blur, my body numbs and gets a thousand pounds heavier. My eyelids are also heavy, oh so heavy, and I know that I am dying now. I take a deep, painful breath, and try to hold this last breath long enough to say my goodbyes._

_"Good-bye," I whisper to each, naming them in turn. They cry, shaking, and I know that they have realized what is happening. They scream, "No!" over and over. "It's all right," I manage to tell them. "It d-doesn't hurt. D-don't be afraid." My breath fails me then, and it takes effort to force my eyelids open. Blake grabs my arms and shakes me._

_"Tori! Tori!" he screams over and over. I can hear the other voices joining in, but they are getting fainter, and I can see only Blake. "Tori! Tori!" he screams, and the world is getting darker. I look at Blake, keeping my gaze on him, silently pleading forgiveness. "Tori! Tori!" I can hear him calling me back from the darkness. But there is nothing I can do, and slowly his face, and the entire world, fade into black. And then….nothing._


	2. Chapter 1: Nightmares

Chapter 1: Nightmares

Tori Hanson woke up screaming at the top of her lungs, tears pouring down her cheeks, her entire body trembling in fear. Breathing heavily, she looked around, seeing, not the City Square where she lay dying only moments before, but her room.

"It's just a dream," she told herself, still shivering, still terrified.

_But it's not_, a voice deep inside her mind whispered. Tori had never been the superstitious type. But she knew that this dream was not just a dream.

The first time she had had it, 2 weeks before, it had been 'just a dream'. Just a horrible nightmare that haunted her for the entire next day The second night, when she relived the nightmare, déjà-vu down to the last detail, it had been 'just a recurring dream'. But when it returned nightly for 2 whole weeks—14 horrifying nights, each night identical to the last—it ceased to be 'just a dream'. In fact, by this point, Tori was beginning to wonder if this wasn't some sign of the future. And what bothered her most was just how inflexible the dream was. In the past, when she'd had recurring dreams, she eventually managed to do something that would end the dream differently. But each night, she couldn't remember where the situation was leading, could never remind herself that it was 'just a dream'; every detail seemed as rigid as though it were set in stone.

_I wish I could ask Sensei's advice on this_, she thought wistfully. But that wasn't a possibility at the moment, because despite those 14 nights of terror, the other Rangers didn't know yet. There were several reasons why she was reluctant to tell them. It seemed absolutely ridiculous, that she was so freaked out by a dream, and she didn't know how her friends would react. If she couldn't face one dream, how could they trust her to face Lothor's daily attacks?

And then, of course, there was the alternative scenario: if her friends **did** agree that this wasn't your average nightmare, she'd wind up with five paranoid, over-protective guy Rangers on her hands. Granted, Tori had been pretty paranoid about battles this past week, but her friends would take it to the extreme. _And there isn't any way I could tell Sensei without Cam finding out, and you know Cam would tell the others._ And Tori was tired of feeling like the weak link. She knew the guys didn't really see her that way, or at least she was pretty sure they didn't –still, there was always that underlying insecurity, the fear that she might be the weak link. Fear, concealed beneath a burning desire to be anything but a damsel-in-distress screaming for her boyfriend. Not that she had one—yet, anyway.

Tori threw a glance at her alarm clock. 8:12 am, the bright red digital letters told her. Bright red like blood…._8:12!_ Tori threw herself out of bed with a mortified gasp. She was supposed to meet the guys at the beach at 8! As swiftly as only a running-late ninja can go, Tori quickly yanked her bed together, then slipped on a pair of denim 'short' shorts and an electric blue tank over her tropical-patterned two-piece. As she began throwing sunscreen, sunglasses, etc. into her beach bag, she wondered what she was going to tell her friends. She had already decided not to reveal her dream, so what could she say? Well, maybe she could tell them that she'd had a bad dream, but did she have to describe it? If her friends wanted to know about it, she could always make something up.

Tori shoved her waterproof watch on her wrist and checked the time. 8:30. _I am __**so **__dead_, Tori thought, groaning. She raced to the garage and grabbed her board, then stopped to grab a quick breakfast before heading out the door. After shoving everything into the back of her van, Tori got in the car and was about to back out, when she suddenly remembered the inner tubes and beach balls in the back of the garage. Exasperated, she simply grabbed the deflated, vinyl beach toys and their pump and got back in the car. Let everyone pump their own stuff at the beach. She was late as it was.

_Of course, it is a law of nature that the one morning you are running late, traffic is terrible, _Tori thought, annoyed. She had been sitting in traffic for 15 minutes, and it was extremely frustrating. She glanced at the car clock. 8:50.

"I suppose at this point I ought to call them and tell them I'll be late," Tori said aloud. She picked up her cell phone and began to dial. But the screen didn't light up. Of course. The one day she desperately needed it, it would need charging. Usually the phone was running fine, and annoying her with trivial calls from her too-annoying, gossipy girl 'friends', telemarketers, and her mother, who always asked her to buy something that they had at least 5 of somewhere already. She considered using her morpher for a moment, but decided against it. Firstly, 'one should never use their ninja or Ranger powers for personal use'. She had learned that lesson the hard way, and it had definitely stuck with her. Secondly, anyone might see here in the middle of stopped traffic, and if anyone figured out that those 'freaky watches' were something more than watches with a few useless but cool features, there would be trouble.

Finally, the long line of cars moved. As she drove forward, Tori peered through the windshield to see what the reason for the delay was. Somehow, it didn't surprise her to see a couple of her least-favorite "muscleheads" from the beach, arguing with a cop next to their smashed-up van. Tori lowered her head to the wheel in a slow, thudding motion. _This is just not my day. _


	3. Chapter 2: Making Excuses

_Disclaimer: I do not own PRNS, or any part of it. I also do not own the song "My Last Breath" by Evanescence, which is quoted throughout and was also the original inspiration for this story. _

_Thank you xxsakuraokzxx and MidnightMoonWarrior for my first reviews! Seeing those notifications in my inbox really made my day._

Chapter 2: Making Excuses

By the time Tori managed to get to the beach, park her van, and lug everything to the meeting spot, it was after 9 o'clock. As she approached the spot, she was dismayed to find her friends standing by a picnic table with stony, worried faces, gathered around a small radio which was apparently running one of the local stations. As she got closer, Dustin looked around anxiously. _Probably looking for me_, Tori thought with a twist of guilt in her stomach.

When she finally had reached the group, Cam, who was facing in her direction, looked up and saw her. "Tori," he said, with obvious relief. Dustin spun around, and the others looked up, also in visible relief. Then, to her complete surprise, Dustin gathered her up in a fierce hug.

"Oh, thank God," he muttered. Then he held her at arms length, and his expression turned unusually serious "Where **were** you?"

Tori raised her eyebrow _?_ "Guys, what's wrong?" Dustin stared at her and shook his head in disbelief.

"What's wrong? Oh, nothing much. Y'know, you're over an hour late, and you didn't call, and you didn't answer your phone, and oh y'know we happen to be busy battling an evil space ninja with a penchant for abducting ninjas, but seriously, nothing much is wrong."

"I'm...sorry?" Tori offered. "I didn't mean to worry you guys."

"Well, what happened?" Blake asked

"Long story," Tori said.

"Well, dude, we want to hear it, so you can tell us while we're all getting ready to hit the waves," Dustin said.

"Okay, okay." Tori groaned. "I kind of overslept because of this nightmare, and then…."

"Stop. Rewind." Shane said. "Nightmare? What kind of nightmare?"

"Is it that important?" Tori asked.

"Yes," all five boys answered at once. Tori thought fast.

"It was, uh, a dream about, um…."Tori looked down and pretended to be upset. "Look, I really don't want to talk about it." The boys looked at each other awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.

"Uh, that's okay, Tor, you like, don't have to say anymore," Dustin said. "About the dream, I mean." She smirked inwardly. That had been ridiculously easy, and furthermore it had been the absolute truth.

"Anyway, I woke up at 8:15, and I rushed out of the house as fast as I could, but when I finally got on the road I got stuck in traffic. I tried to call you, but the cell phone was dead, and for obvious reasons, I couldn't use the morpher to call." She finished with a triumphant smirk.

"Okay, fine, whatever," Cam muttered. "As long as you have an excuse." Tori snorted as she and the others took off the clothes covering their swimsuits and headed for the water.

An hour later, the boys were having a rowdy variation of dodgeball with the beach balls, and Tori was sunbathing on her towel. She tilted her shades down and smiled indulgently as she watched the boys running around acting as if they were 7 instead of 17—well, more like 27 in Cam's case. She giggled quietly as Dustin gleefully pounded Shane with a ball just moments before Cam in turn pounded him with another ball.

Tori was just about to get up and join them when the game took a rougher turn. Dustin stole Hunter's ball and the Crimson Ranger retaliated by tackling him. Soon all five boys were tackling each other, the beach balls and the game of dodgeball long forgotten. Shaking her head as she bit her lip to hide a smile, Tori slipped her sunglasses back into place and stretched out on her beach towel. Sighing comfortably, she closed her eyes.

_ "Good-bye," I whisper to each, naming them in turn. They scream, "No!" over and over. "It's all right," I manage to tell them. "It d-doesn't hurt. D-don't be afraid." My breath fails me then, and it takes effort to force my eyelids open. Blake grabs my arms and shakes me._

"_Tori! Tori!:" he screams over and over. I can hear the other voices joining in, but they are getting fainter, and I can see only Blake. "Tori! Tori!" he screams, and the world is getting darker. I look at Blake, keeping my gaze on him, silently pleading forgiveness. "Tori! Tori!" I can hear him calling me back from the darkness…._

Tori opened her eyes, gasping for breath, and breathed a sigh of relief as she found herself safe on the warm beach, the nightmare in the City Square ended. Her relief quickly faded, however, as she looked up and saw her friends standing over her with worried faces.

"Tori, are you all right?" Shane asked.

"Dude, what was all that about?" Dustin added. The five looked at her expectantly. Tori waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"It was nothing. I just thought I heard someone calling me, that's all. It startled me."

"We **were** calling you," Cam told her. "You were crying out in your sleep."

"I do that in my sleep all the time," Tori protested. _Well, it's not exactly a lie. I've been doing it every night for 2 weeks, at least_. She could tell by their expressions, however, that her friends were not convinced. "Look, if something was going on, don't you think I would tell you guys? I tell you guys **everything**," Tori pleaded. _Truly, a little white lie never hurts_. Shane shrugged.

"She's got a point, guys. All right, Tori, we believe you." Dustin perked up.

"Hey Tor, wanna play some volleyball?" Tori hesitated. She had been looking forward to working on her tan. On the **other** hand, if she fell asleep and had that dream again….

"Sure!" she said pleasantly. She got up and followed her friends over to the net they'd set up. A few minutes later, as she and the others got more and more caught up in the game, the nightmare was forgotten…. For the time being, anyway.

_A/N: Sorry, I know this was kind of a short, filler chapter. Things will start moving more quickly soon, I promise! In the meantime, please keep reading and reviewing – I actually wrote this story several years ago and am constantly revising it as I prepare to post, so any and all feedback to that end is very helpful! _


	4. Chapter 3: Back to the Dark

_Disclaimer: I STILL do not own PRNS, or any part of it. I also do not own the song "My Last Breath" by Evanescence, which is quoted throughout and was also the original inspiration for this story. _

_Thanks to everyone for your reviews, and I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update! I have a new job which is turning out to be pretty crazy and exhausting, so I don't always have a regular time to edit/upload - which is why I'm giving you guys 2 chapters this time :-) _

Chapter 3: Back to the Dark

After a long day of fun, at 10 o'clock the Rangers decided to call it quits—they knew they would have training early in the morning, and possibly a monster attack; and besides the beach closed at 10:30. Waving to her friends, Tori climbed into her blue van and started the engines. She watched as Shane pulled out in his red Lexus, followed by Dustin in his Storm Chargers van and Hunter and Blake in their Ford 4X4. Cam, she observed, merely had CyberCam teleport him to Ninja Ops. _That empty place is his only home every night_, she thought somewhat sadly. Yawning, she navigated her van through the dark streets to her home, lazily dragged the inner tubes and beach balls to the back of the garage – _I'll deal with them in the morning_—and then went to her room. Slipping into an extra large Storm Chargers t-shirt, she snuggled up under the covers and was soon fast asleep.

_ Something lurches inside me. I look down and see my shirt is the color of Hunter's uniform now; no longer is it blue. I taste blood in my mouth, an uncontrollable amount of blood. My senses blur, my body numbs and gets a thousand pounds heavier. My eyelids are also heavy, oh so heavy, and I know that I am dying now…_

Once again, Tori sat up in bed, screaming wildly. Panting heavily, she clutched her heart, and felt it pounding far above her normal heart rate. "It's just a dream," she lectured herself aloud. But that voice in the back of her head, the one that we all have, that always reminds us of the darker side of things, would not leave her alone. _Or is it?_ the voice whispered sinisterly. Tori shuddered. Suddenly her mother ran into the room.

"Tori, dear! What is it? What's wrong?" She shook her head wearily.

"Nothing, Mom. Just—just a bad dream." Her mother pursed her lips.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tori shook her head. "All right then. If you need me, dear, just come get me, all right? Good-night honey." Her mother kissed her on the cheek, and vanished back to her own room again. Tori bit her lip. _I cannot go on like this_, she thought in desperation. _There has to be another way._ She paused a moment, thinking, quivering with dread. _You have only one choice,_ that voice in her head reminded her. _You have to tell them_.

"But if I tell them," Tori argued with herself aloud, "Then they'll think I'm a wimp, **and** they'll get all over-protective on me." But she could see that her inner logic was winning. _A dream that I've had this many times, cannot be just a dream. I should tell someone,_ she thought. "All right. I'll do it. First chance that I have tomorrow. I'll tell them.


	5. Chapter 4: An Average Morning

_Disclaimer: STILL do not own PRNS, or any part of it. I also do not own the song "My Last Breath" by Evanescence, which is quoted throughout and was also the original inspiration for this story._

Chapter 4 : An Average Morning

The next morning, Tori practically flew to the team's early ninja training session—well, as much as a person** can** fly on almost no sleep. Now that she had decided to tell her friends, the prospect of getting everything off her chest had become very appealing, and she was anxious to get the truth out. _Maybe I can finally make some sense out of all this_, she thought to herself cheerfully as she drove to Ops, blinking off tiredness.

When she arrived, though, Tori was disappointed – the lack of sleep really **had **made her sluggish, and as quickly as she had thought she was going she still only barely made it to training on time. It looked like her confession would have to wait.

Sighing inwardly, she joined her friends in their usual activities : jogging, pushups, curlups, pullups, stretches, and finally, sparring. Today it was her turn to spar with Hunter, and Tori knew she would need all her concentration just to keep herself from getting hurt .Hunter was a great friend, but he was a formidable ninja, and he often forgot—or did not realize—his own strength. Somehow, it didn't surprise Tori, or anyone else, that Hunter won the match.

After sparring, the six Rangers were exhausted. They plopped down on their cushion chairs around the low table as Sensei gave them today's lesson : destiny. Tori really wasn't paying much attention. She was really tired, after having partied all of the day before and then gone to bed in time to run through that awful dream again. Besides which, she was too busy planning in her head how she was going to handle this whole dream-thing. If she wanted to avoid mass panic/anger on her friends' part, she was going to have to tell them in exactly the right way – and that would take some planning. It was only when Tori remembered that Sensei sometimes asked the Rangers to explain what they had learned at the end that she decided she'd better tune in.

"…A Ninja's destiny does not have to be set in stone," Sensei was saying. "Destiny is a guideline, not a rule."

"Then, like, what does a Ninja do with destiny?" Dustin asked.

"They choose their own path. We each possess the ability to mold our own destiny. A Ninja is not bound to their Fate. A Ninja, makes their own destiny." Tori tried hard not to roll her eyes, or let her boredom show. She had great respect for Sensei, but sometimes his lessons seemed entirely too...lofty, and theoretical, to be of any real use.

Suddenly, an alarm rang. "Dudes," CyberCam said from the computer mainframe. "We've got trouble downtown. " Faint sounds of explosions and people screaming poured from the speakers.

"I'll have the world in stitches!" a raspy female voice proclaimed. Tori felt a wrench in her stomach. _Why do I know that voice?_

"You guys ready?" Shane said, interrupting her thoughts. Tori shrugged it off and quickly took her place in the line of Rangers.

"Ninja Storm—"

"Thunder Storm—"

"Samurai Storm—"

"Ranger Form! Hah!" The Rangers proclaimed together.

"Power of Earth!"

"Air!"

"Water!"

"Power of Thunder!"

"Green Samurai Power!"

And with that, the Rangers took off for the City Square, as always, where Lothor's latest monster awaited them.

...Little did they know how different this battle would be.


	6. Chapter 5: A Ninja's Destiny Part 1

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing! I'm sorry it has taken SO ridiculously long to get this chapter up...work has been just crazy lately and I even had to put in a bit of overtime this past week, so I didn't have time to get this chapter ready until now. . But you guys didn't mind a little cliffhanger, right..? *evil laugh*

_ToastedMarshmallow08 – So obviously that was a lot more than 5 seconds...but c'mon, admit it, that makes this chapter even better!...or at least that's the excuse I make for falling behind with the updates. I'm glad you're getting so into it though! _

_Xxsakurarokzxx - Thanks! This one isn't too too much longer...I wrote it awhile ago back when my stories were pretty short- although looking back I probably should have taken the opportunity to make this one longer! Not to worry, though, there will be sequels! _

_JasonLeeScottFan – There's a good reason to have a bad feeling...*muahaha*...but you're about to find out! _

_Neon765 – Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! _

_PinkGurl110 – I agree, as much as I love romance and sappy it's always fun to read (and write!) something different. This might not have the ending you're expecting, but like I told sakura, there is more to come! _

_BellaVision – No worries, I fell behind but I am going to keep updating! _

Chapter 5: A Ninja's Destiny

As the Rangers flipped into battle, Tori couldn't help but feel a sense of overbearing dread. Something bad was definitely going to happen. _Something's not right here...but what is it?_ Shaking herself from her thoughts, Tori looked up to face the task in front of her.

"Come closer, Rangers," the monster called out. "I shall reveal to you the power of Seamstra!" The creature was shaped like a giant spool of multi-colored thread with needles and pins sticking out every which way and a pair of scissors as its head. Suddenly, Tori felt a wrench in her stomach, a lump in her throat, and suddenly, she knew exactly where she had heard that voice before. _It's just a dream_, she began to remind herself, but then stopped. _In the dream, I could never control my thoughts like that. Never. Which means….this must be …real…._

"Ninja Sword! Gold Mode!" Shane commanded his team. Dustin hurried to obey, but Tori had a delayed reaction. It was only after Shane and Dustin had stared at her from under their helmets for a moment that she came to her senses and quickly followed suit. But even as Tori held up her sword bravely, inside she was in turmoil. _How do you prepare yourself for the kind of bloody death I know I face?_ she thought desperately, terrified.

"Samurai Saber!" Cam called, pulling out the blade unique to the Green Samurai Ranger. Suddenly Tori could see the day that Cam had become the Green Samurai after so much longing, how proud she had been of him. But now all of that was going to waste.

"Thunder Staffs!" Hunter and Blake shouted together, producing their weapons.

And again Tori flashed back, remembering the day that Hunter and Blake had joined the team. Remembering how it felt to stand in Ops together, to be a part of that group.

And as the Rangers moved into battle stance. Tori could not help but throw a lingering, hidden glance at Blake. Somehow she could not help remembering every moment she'd spent with him—from their meeting in Storm Chargers to the unmasking of the Thunder Rangers, to the Cave of Souls, to the sinking island, to Mr. Ratwell and beyond. _And now I will only see his face once before my life ends, and I will never see that amazing smile again._

"You have been warned!" Seamstra called. "Kelzaks!" Immediately a large group of the black-and-red aliens appeared. As the Kelzaks charged, the Rangers braced themselves for a fight.

_It's strange—surreal, really, _Tori thought to herself as she went through the motions of fighting. _They're going through the motions of fighting.. We all are. We always do. It's surreal how jaded we are. _

_To the other guys, this battle is no different. It doesn't mean anything. But to me..._ Suddenly, for the first time since becoming a Ranger, Tori felt incredibly isolated. Waiting for a future, a death, that the others knew nothing about...It was as if she was watching the whole battle from light-years away, detached from her body. Detached from her life, detached from the person she had been two hours ago. _It's as if I am already gone..._

It was some time later, and yet all too soon, when Tori finally came back to earth and realized that all but a few of the aliens had been taken out, and Seamstra was standing on the sidelines watching in fury. Then, two of the remaining Kelzaks latched onto Hunter, and another two grabbed Blake. The Thunder Rangers were having trouble fighting them off, she noticed. And in that instant, Shane looked to Tori. Tori saw it with horrified dread and a pounding heart as Shane gave the command that would send her to her death.

"We'll hold off the rest. Go help Hunter and Blake!" And for the first time, Tori hesitated. It wasn't so much a choice as a necessity—a struggle to keep her knees locked so she wouldn't fall, to keep her breath steady so she wouldn't faint, her mind focused so she wouldn't cry, to look past the pain as her heart slammed into her chest.

For a brief moment, the reality of what was about to happen to her hit—hard. For a brief moment, she wondered what would happen if she refused to go.

...And then the moment passed, and Tori admitted to herself that this was no time for a confession. Not now, not now when they were locked in the heat of battle, when Blake and Hunter were in danger...no, it was too late.

Gathering every ounce of courage she could muster, Tori nodded bravely and began to run towards the pair. The scenery around her blurred and the world suddenly seemed to be running in slow motion.

_Why am I doing this? Why does it have to be this way?_ Tori thought, tears streaming down her cheeks inside the blue helmet. _Why does it have to be set in stone?_ But as she thought those words, she remembered…

_** "A Ninja's destiny does not have to be set in stone… They choose their own path. We each possess the ability to mold our own destiny. A Ninja is not bound to their Fate. A Ninja, makes their own destiny.."**_

_ I can make my_ _own destiny_, Tori thought suddenly, heart beating faster, breathing heavier, but differently than a few moments prior. _I can choose my own path, I can step outside the guidelines. __I, am a ninja. _Then, as she kept running, as the world continued to run in slow motion. Tori saw Seamstra step forward.

"Time to baste some Ranger!' Seamstra called. And as she heard the rush of speeding death, in the form of Seamstra's needle, Tori flung herself down onto the ground.

Suddenly an explosion of pain ripped through Tori. It filled her entire being, her whole awareness. Desperately, she tried to get up, but a fresh wave of pain hit. She screamed in agony, falling back down. Electricity crackled around her, and there was more pain, and suddenly her Ranger suit vanished. Through the cloud of pain enveloping her, she could hear her friends calling out her name. Hopelessly, silently, she wept. _I couldn't change it after all. I couldn't. This time...this time, destiny __**was **__a rule, not a guideline. _

_A/N: I am terrible, it's true. Oriiiginally this chapter did go on a bit longer, but I finally decided to take this rewriting thing seriously and string it along a bit longer. After all, what's the fun of tying everything up so soon? Of course, now you'll have to wait for the next chapter..._


	7. Chapter 6: A Ninja's Destiny Part 2

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _

_A/N: Apologies everyone for yet another very-delayed chapter posting! Hopefully these next two chapters will at least somewhat make up for it! :-) _

Chapter 6: A Ninja's Destiny, Part 2 

_Suddenly an explosion of pain ripped through Tori. It filled her entire being, her whole awareness. Desperately, she tried to get up, but a fresh wave of pain hit. She screamed in agony, falling back down. Electricity crackled around her, and there was more pain, and suddenly her Ranger suit vanished. Through the cloud of pain enveloping her, she could hear her friends calling out her name. Hopelessly, silently, she wept. I couldn't change it after all. I couldn't. This time...this time, destiny __**was **__a rule, not a guideline. _

Tori gritted her teeth, struggling not to pass out. As if from a great distance, she heard Seamstra make some sort of sound, but it didn't sound like the cackle Tori remembered from her nightmares…. Then Tori heard a teleportation and knew that the space aliens had left her to die.

Moments later, her friends ran to her side, de-morphing as they came. Almost hysterical, Dustin rolled her over a bit, wincing as she groaned in pain. Somehow the numbing fog that had always been present in her nightmares seemed to be missing, and it was taking Tori a lot of effort to stay calm. Still, she was determined to do it, for her friends' sakes...determined to go out bravely, without the tears that would only make everything harder.

"Tori, are you okay?" Blake asked frantically.

_Am I okay? _Tori thought to herself nearly-hysterically. _Am I okay? No, I'm not okay, I'm going to die and—wait a minute,_ Tori thought, startled. _That's not what he said in the dream, and anyway, why would Blake ask that if...? _

Hardly daring to hope, or to breathe, Tori gingerly prodded her chest. The dull pain was still lingering, but it didn't hurt to touch. She looked down. Nothing there._ But….then….?_

And then, she saw it: Seamstra's needle, embedded, not in her heart, but straight through her other hand. _It hurts like hell, and my hand's going to be a real mess for awhile…but….I am alive!_ she thought incredulously, hardly daring to believe. There was another wave of pain, and she clenched her teeth to suppress a high-pitched moan as she watched Cam quickly pull the needle from her hand. She found this wound no more appealing than the one in her dreams, and as she saw the place where the needle had gone through, she shuddered and quickly looked away. Blake carefully placed an arm around her.

"Are you all right?" Tori nodded distantly, as what had just happened finally sank in for the first time. It still seemed so unreal. Cam was staring at her worriedly. He looked to the others.

"I think she's in shock," he told them quietly. C'mon," he said more loudly, kneeling beside her. "Let's get you back to Ninja Ops, okay Tor?" She looked up at him slowly and nodded. The other Rangers shared worried glances as Blake and Dustin gently lifted Tori off the ground, and the group took off towards Ninja Ops.


	8. Chapter 7: Secrets & Revelations

_Disclaimer: I still own nothing. _

Chapter 7: Secrets & Revelations

Back at Ninja Ops, Cam pulled a small cot out of a compartment on the wall, and Blake carefully helped Tori across the room and down onto the cot. As Cam inspected her wound more carefully, Blake squeezed her good hand.

After a few moments, Cam straightened, apparently satisfied. "Well, it's going to need some serious bandaging, and we're going to have to come up with something to tell your mom, Tori, but you should be okay." There was an audible sigh of relief from around the room.

"Man, that was a close one, though," Shane said.

"Yeah," Hunter agreed. Cam nodded.

"It was. " His voice was serious and strained. "That needle was directly targeted to the coordinates of Tori's aorta at the time of launch. " He sighed at the blank looks on the other Rangers' faces. "If Tori hadn't thrown herself down when she did, the needle would have…gone right through her heart."

"Whoa," Shane said.

"Talk about lucky," Hunter moaned. Blake said nothing, but tightened his grip on Tori's hand and looked at her worriedly.

"Dude," Dustin said.

"How eloquent, Dustin," Cam commented sarcastically.

"How'd you know to duck down anyway?" Shane asked. "I mean..it all happened so fast. There was no time to think. I would never have made it in time."

"I dunno…. Instinct, I guess," Tori mumbled. The others just looked at her. 'Yeah, right' was written all over their faces.

"Tori?" Hunter prompted. "Something you'd like to share with us?" Tori sighed and wearily rubbed her forehead with her good hand.

"All right, "she sighed. The other Rangers looked at her expectantly.

"Well, go on, "Shane urged. Tori sighed. _Where do I even begin?_

"Two weeks ago I started having this dream…. We would go into battle and be fighting this monster called Seamstra, and then as I was running to help Hunter and Blake she would throw a big needle right through me, and then I would just…die.

"Not even right away," Tori continued, a sob beginning to be evident in her voice. "I would be lying there **bleeding** to death, just feeling myself slipping away…." She stared firmly at the ground, not daring to look up into her friends' eyes. "I mean, the first time, it was like, oh yeah, just a nightmare…. I couldn't stop thinking about it all the next day, but it was just a nightmare….But, it didn't stop there. I had it the next night. And the next. Every single night for two weeks. And anytime I just dozed off, or even closed my eyes, I would have the dream again."

"I didn't know where the dream was coming from, or why it was happening...not really. But as soon as I saw Seamstra, I just...knew, and when I heard her speak and I knew she was…going to throw it, I just thought of what Sensei was telling us earlier and I…I ducked."

Blake stared at her incredulously. "So you knew about this. The whole time."

"Tori, I…." Dustin stuttered. "Why the hell did you head off towards Hunter and Blake if you knew what was coming? You could have been killed!" he told her, obviously upset and hurt.

Tori shook her head in exasperation. "And what was I supposed to do? That was hardly the time to start coming clean. There was no time, we were in the heat of battle.. And besides which, somebody would still have had to help Hunter and Blake. It would've been you or Shane, or maybe Cam, on the end of that needle, not me. And I figured, at least I had prepared myself. At least I was ready to die, I knew what was going to happen. None of you guys did." There was a stunned silence for a few moments. Tori closed her eyes against the tears she knew were coming.

"Tori… I still don't understand: Why didn't you tell us before?" Blake asked her. Tori didn't answer for a moment, staring at the ground. Finally she spoke:

"Because I was…afraid."

"Of what?" Shane pressed.

"Of…a lot of things, I guess. I was…afraid of the dream, and I was afraid to let you guys see that…. I was afraid you'd all start protecting me…or else laugh at me for being overly superstitious. But mostly I was just…afraid…that…." Tori trailed off.

Dustin rolled his eyes at her expectantly.

"I was afraid that you would…think I was…weak. Or at least, too weak to handle Lothor," she clarified as she saw the guys exchange Looks over her head.

"Why would you think that, Tor? We would never think that about you," Dustin asked. Tori sighed and pursed her lips as she struggled for the best way to word her answer.

Blake glanced at Tori knowingly. "Does it have anything to do with you being the only girl on the team?" Tori just looked at him, and in her eyes he saw that that was exactly why. Blake nodded slowly, and the other Rangers realized it too.

"Tori," Hunter began, "I know sometimes we're kinda overprotective, or we forget that you can take care of yourself. But it isn't because we think you're weak; far from it. It's just that…."

"It's just human nature," Shane added. "We're a bunch of guys on a team with one girl, and we're all sort of like family on this team, so sometimes we tend to see you as a little sister…."

"And that's what big brothers do for little sisters," Dustin finished. "We beat up any guy that messes with them and protect them and sort of defer to them. But it's not anything personal Tor, we can't really help it." Blake squeezed Tori's hand harder and titled her chin up so that their eyes met.

"Tori," he said. "I—We have never, ever doubted your position on this team. You are one of us, Tori, and we love you. Don't you ever think otherwise, okay? " Tori nodded. "Promise?" He said gently.

"Promise," Tori whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. Smiling, she allowed Blake to pull her into a comforting hug and hold her close.

"Group hug!" Dustin crowed, shattering the mood instantly. Soon he, as well as Shane and Hunter, had bounded over to try and work themselves into the pair's hug. Cam stood on the side shaking his head pityingly.

"No…party…poopers…"Shane grunted as he reached out and starting dragging Cam into the circle. Cam struggled against him, but it was no use. With a sudden jerk, Cam slid into reach of his five teammates, and was immediately pulled into the hug by an energetic Dustin. Cam sighed and rolled his eyes.

"This is what I get for asking to be a Ranger." The other five Rangers burst out laughing. After a minute, Cam joined in laughing too.

Tori smiled as her friends hugged her tight. _I should have known better,_ she thought laughingly. _I forgot I had the best friends in the world_.

**THE END! **

_**...for now…**_

_A/N: Was there too much fluff at the end? Let me know what you think! As always I appreciate feedback, compliments as well as constructive criticism :-) _

_Thank you so much to everyone who gave me so much feedback on this story - it was terrifying posting my first multi-chapter but you guys helped a lot! Don't worry, though, Tori's troubles are not *quite* over yet...I'm hoping to have the first chapter of the sequel up either tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned!  
_

_Next up: __The One I Love__  
_


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